Tag: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame Makes Texas Defensive Ends Top Seven

Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston visited and extended Abiara the scholarship offer on January 23 before special teams and recruiting coordinator Brian Polian visited the defensive end a week later.

Life can come at you fast. Just a few short weeks ago David Abiara, strong-side defensive end from Legacy High School in Mansfield, Texas didn’t even appear on Notre Dame’s radar.

Fast-forward just a couple short weeks later and the three-star defensive end has since made a visit to Notre Dame and put the Fighting Irish in his top seven school rankings.

https://twitter.com/dtx_davidd/status/1225861636289966081?s=21

Abiara has also received offers from Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M in the last ten days, all of which made that top-seven. Joining those three and Notre Dame among on list for Abiara are Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston visited and extended Abiara the scholarship offer on January 23 before, according to Mike Singer of Blue Gold Illustrated, special teams and recruiting coordinator Brian Polian visited the defensive end a week later.

Just days after that Abiara was on Notre Dame’s campus.

Abiara is ranked as the 41st best player in Texas for 2021 and the 19th highest strong-side defensive end in the nation on Rivals.

And if you were told a player who has already committed to Notre Dame’s 2021 class was taking to Twitter to help recruit Abiara, would it take you more than one guess to figure out who it was?

Surprising to nobody, Big Blake Fisher remains Notre Dame’s best unpaid recruiter.

Five Star RB Will Shipley Schedules Notre Dame Visit

Going toe-to-toe with the likes of Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State and winning the commitment of a talent like Shipley would go a long way in showing Brian Kelly wasn’t joking about recruiting taking another step

Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class is off to a very hot start as its currently seen as a top-three class nationally by most outlets. Obviously there is a ton of time to go but early returns have been nothing short of great.

What would make it even greater would be landing another elite offensive talent and playmaker, something Will Shipley checks the boxes of.

If you’ve paid attention to Notre Dame recruiting at all you’re well-aware of how much of a priority Shipley is.

247Sports reported Friday night some very good news for Notre Dame as they say Shipley plans to be on campus for a visit the weekend of March 20-22. He is set to be joined on the visit by his parents.

Notre Dame continues to look to wow Shipley who all of the big dogs in college football are after, including but not limited to Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State.

Landing his talent can’t be understated and going toe-to-toe with the likes of Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State and winning the commitment of a talent like Shipley would go a long way in showing Brian Kelly wasn’t joking about recruiting taking another step.

Stay tuned to Fighting Irish Wire as we’ll have the latest in regards to Will Shipley and everything else related to Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting efforts.

Notre Dame Football: Tight End U Finds New Tight Ends Coach

former Rutgers offensive coordinator at Penn State analyst, John McNulty is expected to be named Brian Kelly’s new tight ends coach

Notre Dame has had a ridiculous run of talent for decades and decades at tight end and with a loaded class at the position in the 2020 recruiting class, that doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Now, the Fighting Irish appear to have a new tight end coach to lead the traditionally loaded position.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and Fox Sports reported Saturday morning that former Rutgers offensive coordinator at Penn State analyst, John McNulty is expected to be named Brian Kelly’s new tight ends coach.

McNulty is a football-lifer. He was a safety at Penn State from 1988-1990 before beginning a coaching career as a graduate assistant at Michigan. Since then his stops have included Connecticut, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Rutgers, Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers and again at Rutgers before joining James Franklin’s staff at Penn State as an analyst late in 2019.

247Sports & Irish Illustrated reported last week that McNulty was highly recommended by Nick Saban who once pursued him as an assistant.

I won’t pretend to know anything about him besides what his resume says but the fact Saban and Franklin speak highly of him, not just in words but in pursuing him speaks highly to me.

I doubt this hire makes or breaks the future of the position but I have trouble thinking the traditionally loaded position for Notre Dame doesn’t continue to produce at an extremely high level.

Five Former Notre Dame Players Kick Off XFL This Weekend

When it does kickoff this weekend there will be five former Notre Dame players with roster spots across the eight team league for Fighting Irish fans to follow.

Ladies and gentlemen: “THIS IS THE XFL!”

To quote Vince McMahon now twenty or so years ago, but this “new and improved” version of the XFL doesn’t appear to be quite as extreme as the original product was a couple of decades ago.

When it does kickoff this weekend there will be five former Notre Dame players with roster spots across the eight team league for Fighting Irish fans to follow.

First a long snapper:

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Notre Dame Football: Thoughts on 2020 Home Kickoff Times

The only real double take upon seeing the release for me is that Stanford remains a night game.

Notre Dame’s home schedule for the 2020 season has long been known but kickoff times however were not. At least not until Friday when the team and NBC Sports announced the kickoff times for all seven home games this season.

Of those seven, six will be played at Notre Dame Stadium while the Shamrock Series makes a return at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, when Notre Dame takes on Wisconsin this October.

Here’s how the scheduled home slate looks time wise:

Sept. 12 – Arkansas, 2:30 ET

Sept. 19 – Western Michigan, 2:30 ET

Oct. 3 – Wisconsin (Shamrock Series, Green Bay, WI), 7:30 ET

Oct. 10 – Stanford, 7:30 ET

Oct. 31 – Duke, 3:30 ET

Nov. 7 – Clemson, 7:30 ET

Nov. 21 – Louisville, 2:30 ET

As expected the matchups with Wisconsin and Clemson will both be in primetime. The Shamrock Series game has always been a primetime affair while Clemson being far and away the biggest of home opponents for Notre Dame this season gets the evening kickoff.

The only real double take upon seeing the release for me is that Stanford remains a night game. I know there have been some classics in this matchup but with the Cardinal seemingly on the decline I’m surprised to see NBC having interest putting this game in primetime. Why it may make sense though is that the slate of national games for that October 10 day doesn’t appear great at night, meaning ratings could benefit despite a not great matchup:

Texas/Oklahoma is always a noon ET kickoff while Clemson/Florida State, Ohio State/Iowa, and Michigan/Michigan State all appear to be lopsided matchups from this far out.

The SEC has a couple big games that week with Auburn and Georgia doing battle and LSU taking on Florida but it is hard to imagine CBS not choosing its one primetime SEC game for the year to not include Alabama or LSU for a second consecutive season as that honor went to Notre Dame and Georgia in 2019.

Notre Dame Lands 1 Signee in USA TODAY Top 25 Prospect Rankings

but it was another player who has been rising on almost all rankings of late who walked away as one of USA TODAY’s Top 25 Prospects in this 2020 class.

National Signing Day in early February used to be college football’s version of the circus. With the early signing period now taking place in late December and the addition of the transfer portal, what used to be a massive day is now mostly just another day for all intents and purposes.

Notre Dame didn’t add anyone last minute in this signing period, not that it comes at all as a surprise. Who they signed in December is who they end with, minus one.

In terms of elite talent this class brings in some will debate how high the potential is. Chris Tyree received much of the focus during his recruitment through his eventual signing, but it was another player who has been rising on almost all rankings of late who walked away as one of USA TODAY’s Top 25 Prospects in this 2020 class.

6-5, 240 pound tight end Michael Mayer of Kentucky looks like he will be a load at Notre Dame. He scored a touchdown in the All-American game and recently saw his status move to a five-star recruit on 247Sports. He was also the highest rated Notre Dame signee according to the USA TODAY who ranked him 14th in the entire nation.

They say of Mayer:

Mayer is a load with great footwork and quickness which allow him to get open and create after the catch. Mayer has a high IQ and uses his athleticism and great hands to dominate opposing players.

If you’ve followed this at all you’re well aware of how highly regarded Mayer has become as he appears to be the next great product of Tight End U.

NFL Draft: Notre Dame’s Tony Jones, Jr. Combine Bound

Good news came the way of one of those exact players Tuesday as Tony Jones, Jr. posted the following to Instagram

As we continue to prepare for the NFL Draft, the next step welcomes the top prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft to Indianapolis for the annual combine.

40 yard dashes, vertical leap, bench press reps, interviews and everything else will be used in Indiana’s capital city to help teams decide who they ultimately select and who they avoid.

Notre Dame figures to have several representatives with a few others remaining tossups as to if they get invitations or not.

Good news came the way of one of those exact players Tuesday as Tony Jones, Jr. posted the following to Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

See y’all in Indy ✈️✌🏾

A post shared by Tony T. Jones Jr. (@thats_6ixx) on

I hope Jones turns heads and gets himself selected. When we looked at Matt Miller of Bleacher Report’s Seven Round Mock Draft, he had Jones going in the seventh round.

That will probably remain a tossup but here’s to hoping he turns some heads. One part of his game he unfortunately won’t be able to highlight these coming days in Indy will be his pass-protection. I truly feel he isn’t just acceptable at it but legit good. However they don’t so much do pass-protection drills to showcase running backs at the scouting combine.

Knock em dead, 6.

Mark D’Antonio Steps Down at Michigan State

That one loss in 2013 was of course in South Bend, a 17-13 Notre Dame win.

If you’ve paid attention to Michigan State football and their athletic department today’s news that Mark D’Antonio has stepped down as head football coach isn’t really a shock.

A victim of his own success where 11-plus win seasons became the standard in the early part of last decade, D’Antonio’s Sparty Party has come to an end after a couple of 7-6 seasons and a 3-9 run in recent years.

It’s hard to believe that some of the well-known issues in the Michigan State athletic department don’t play into this, whether it’s the disgusting happenings of Larry Nasser or the recent recruiting allegations that have popped up in his program.

I discussed the chances of this happening last fall on the College Football News Podcast with Pete Fiutak. I just thought it would happen in January, not hours before national signing day.

I said just above it’s not a shock that he’s not back in 2020, but it is shocking he leaves in early February.

So why now is the question?

A few ideas of why now makes sense to me:

1. He just picked up a four million dollar bonus from the university. I have no idea if he’ll have to pay it back (I’d assume so without seeing any of the actual contract) but I’d probably sit around in a job I have no interest in for an extra 40 bucks, now go and add five more zeroes to that.

2. Who is the replacement? It’s not exactly the prime time to go searching for a big time candidate. Chances I would think are high that someone already on his staff would at least get a shot for a year like Luke Fickell at Ohio State in 2011.

3. Pulling a Pete Carroll? I always associate running from issues with the NCAA with how Pete Carroll exited USC after 2009. Punishments coming? Get him to Seattle immediately. Same story here without the leap to the NFL? I don’t believe so but it’s at least worth discussing.

D’Antonio finishes his run at Michigan State 115-57 overall and 63-39 in Big Ten play. Those 115 wins are the most in program history.

D’Antonio’s resume includes 12 bowl appearances in 13 seasons with the Spartans, three Big Ten championships, and a 13-1 season in 2013 that resulted in not just a conference title but also a Rose Bowl Championship.

That one loss in 2013 was of course in South Bend, a 17-13 Notre Dame win.

D’Antonio finishes with a 4-5 record against Notre Dame in his time at Michigan State.

Now the question becomes does the job go to a current assistant or does it go to a former D’Antonio staffer like Pat Narduzzi or Like Fickell?

And is there more to the recent allegations that led to this? No doubt plenty more to come. Stay tuned.

Watch: JJ Watt Remakes “Rudy” for Saturday Night Live

Can we get JJ Watt in a Notre Dame uniform next time they play Clemson though, please

If you missed Saturday Night Live this past weekend like most of the nation has done for sometime, JJ Watt, Houston Texans star and a University of Wisconsin product was the guest host.

Watt and much of the cast did a sketch remaking “Rudy” and did so in just four or so minutes.

Enjoy “Robbie” if you haven’t already seen it:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jHxEthp2-8&w=560&h=315]

I loved “Rudy” when it came out and still do, even if things we learn later on about his actual story may have meant for an even better film.

But if you can’t laugh at that then you’re taking things way too seriously.

Can we get JJ Watt in a Notre Dame uniform next time they play Clemson though, please? That would be nice.

Fighting Irish Wire: Staff Super Bowl Picks

So what happens Sunday when Kansas City tries to end their 50 year title drought and San Francisco tries to join the Steelers and Patriots as the only teams with six Super Bowls?

What happens Sunday evening in the final football game we get until late August?

Alright, that’s said an no offense is meant to the XFL or fans/players of any other league but you catch my drift.

So what happens Sunday when Kansas City tries to end their 50 year title drought and San Francisco tries to join the Steelers and Patriots as the only teams with six Super Bowls?

Here is how the Fighting Irish Wire Staff sees Super Bowl Sunday going:

Mike Chen: Chiefs 35, 49ers 24

Pat Mahomes is just too damn good and proves to be too much for the 49ers to handle.

Geoffrey Clark: Chiefs 35, 49ers 17

Mahomes is built for moments like this and when the lights shine brightest he won’t disappoint. Not exactly a reach but he’s easily the MVP come 10 pm Sunday.

Jeff Feyerer: Chiefs 27, 49ers 23

The Chiefs just have so many weapons I don’t know how you stop them. Sure the 49ers have a great running game but I trust the KC game plan and secondary to both be better against that running game than the Packers were.

Nick Shepkowski: Chiefs 27, 49ers 24

Oddity of this game is that the stats don’t match the narrative. The 49ers actually allowed more points than the Chiefs did this year while the Niners also out-scored Kansas City in 2019. Defense wins championships, right?! Chiefs in a classic.